The digitisation of established B2B sectors such as construction, energy and engineering has been a major source of disruption – and opportunity – over recent years. It’s a shift that has helped to introduce greater benefits in efficiency and productivity for many organisations. But it’s also created more complexity for marketers in how they can effectively promote products and services that have evolved to incorporate more digital features. 

The greater role digital technology now plays in what before may have been relatively traditional sectors means organisations now often involve a different range of people in the buying unit. This in turn has impacted the nature of how purchase decisions are made, and how marketing must seek to influence them.

One example of this is the greater level of data connectivity now present in manufacturing automation, with equipment such as actuators now part of the Internet of Things. Another is how the lines between mechanical and digital engineering are blurring, as new products help to optimise the design and maintenance of major energy assets such as power plants.

In both cases this has led to a diversification of the buying group beyond the conventional decision makers who would typically sit in operational, technical or engineering roles. Departments such as IT are now likely to exert a greater influence, and in engineering organisations we’ve seen electrical engineers playing a growing role in decisions that might previously have sat purely with mechanical engineers.

In some organisations this has led to a fundamental shift in who ultimately makes the buying decision; in others it has meant a smaller but not insignificant change to who exerts an influence on the buying decision, and therefore your chances of being the favoured option. Without this full range of influencers on side it’s likely to be more difficult to move through the purchase process, or – given the early discussions buying groups often have – to even get on the day one shortlist.

This all means marketers must plan to accommodate these ‘new’ purchase decision-makers and influencers.

First, know the audience

Different roles will be brought into a buying process because they have different skills, viewpoints and objectives – all of which the organisation want to have considered fully. For marketers, this means making sure you have a clear idea of the different roles in play, and where there may be key differences in what the various people involved are looking for. 

Returning to the example of how IoT connectivity is growing in industrial automation, we’re likely to see some crucial differences that need to be taken into account. Whilst the mechanical engineer and those in operational roles are likely to still be very much focused on how productivity can be enhanced and downtime avoided, the IT team will want to understand how any new device will integrate with its network and receive reassurances on any security concerns. 

Although IT may not have the casting vote, they could seek to veto a decision or, at the very least, complicate it if they’re not comfortable their criteria have been met. Further, they may be setting their criteria based on an existing favoured supplier rather than your product –- which means targeted early engagement could be key. Carefully mapping out the purchase drivers of these different audience groups in the form of personas will help to ensure this is done effectively.

Adapt your messaging and tactics

A one-size-fits-all message rarely works in B2B given the complexity of purchase processes, but even if you have a well- planned messaging framework in place, it this may well need  revising if your customers are consulting different roles as they make decisions. The differing requirements of departments such as IT will need to be fully considered and reflected in personalised messaging if campaigns are going to land with this audience.The same goes for your tactics in reaching these new audience groups, especially in the cases where additional audiences are influencers on the purchase and not the primary decision- maker. As such, they may be unlikely to want to consume in-depth content on the topic, but want to easily understand how your offering fits with their criteria when they come to research it – – meaning SEO, web and social- content key considerations.

Marketers can’t afford to overlook the ongoing evolution of the B2B buying group. As products become increasingly digitised, so do the priorities of the people evaluating them. Tailoring your strategy to speak to every voice in the room isn’t just smart – it’s essential.